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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · club · wind · jam · hide · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. club — for golf
  3. rule — government
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. club — for dancing
  9. current — electric
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. current — happening now
  12. rule — a law
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. club — a group
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. jam — in traffic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com